Filed Under:The War On Drugs

If you tuned into Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night, it’s likely you saw John Cale perform “I Wanna Talk 2 U.” Did you notice a couple of familiar faces in his band? How about The War On Drugs’ Dave Hartley (Nightlands / Oak Island) and Robbie Bennett? We would not lie to you – see it for yourself above! Jump ahead to around 36 minutes to watch the musical performance!

THIS IS WHY THE INTERNET EXISTS. For without it, many of us would not have opportunity to have our minds blown by this gem of a cover. It is The War On Drugs playing Bruce Springsteen’s “The Ties That Bind,” originally released on The River in 1980. Adam and the gang rocked this song during a two-night stint, one of which was a New Years Eve show, at Johnny Brenda’s. Enjoy above!

Folks from WXPN’s The Key happened to be some of the lucky attendees at the NYE performance, which also featured Purling Hiss and Avery Rosewater. “As streamers popped open, confetti flew and champagne was poured, the band closed the trilogy with an outstanding, moving rendition of “Come To The City,” the centerpiece of their 2011 album ‘Slave Ambient.’ But the show was just getting going.” Read the full review and check out photos HERE.

Dave Hartley is a man of many things. You’ve come to know him as the bassist in The War On Drugs and leader of Nightlands – a gentle giant and sci-fi fanatic. Today, we recognize him as the great basketball whisperer. Perhaps we gave you a preview of this when we highlighted Dave’s work for IMPOSE. We are only solidifying his love for the game now. WXPN just announced Dave will head up their new sports column, Top Of The Key. Don’t believe us? Check out that awesome photo of Dave strong arming Baron Davis. GO DAVE!

“To put it bluntly, Hartley is a basketball freak with a encyclopedic knowledge of the game.” – WXPN
(you better believe it)

Back to the point. Dave’s first column is now up for your reading pleasure. He so kindly spells out why Andrew Bynum’s injury is not an end-all for the 76er’s. Read the column HERE.

The good news keeps on coming! Dave Hartley brings you his sophomore album under the Nightlands moniker. Titled Oak Island, it’s the follow up to Forget the Mantra, released in 2010. Dave uses the Nightlands name as a vehicle to further understand art through the analytical process. He engages a side we don’t often see portrayed in his other endeavors, namely his role as bassist in The War On Drugs.

The new album boasts of ten pops songs, stories that take the listener on a scientific journey through the human experience. Today, the silver-tinged Hartley shares with us the first single and album standout, “So Far So Long.” Come – to space we go. Enjoy the track above or at Pitchfork, where it premiered this morning. Oak Island is out January 22, 2013.

Dave’s got a few shows coming up in Philadelphia. See all dates below!

You all know Dave Hartley as The War On Drugs’ bass player and for his solo endeavor, Nightlands, but today, we refer to him as the great interviewer. Dave’s a bit of a basketball enthusiast and his love for and knowledge of the game has led to his Death Dunk column in Impose Magazine. His most recent installment includes an interview with the ever-animated Paul Shirley, a former NBA pro. With a tag-line of “The NBA bench-warmer and author can’t get fired again from ESPN, but tries in our interview,” Dave never falters from asking the hard questions.

In their lengthy chat, Dave and Paul swap questions concerning both basketball and music. Paul reveals himself to be somewhat of a rarity in the NBA, sharing his feelings of isolation that led him to seek out music. Read the full interview HERE.